On Demand Webinars
The 2018 APR Plastics Recycling Web Seminar Education Series
Sustainable Materials Management: A Compliment or a Barrier to Recycling?
Presenters: Kara Pochiro, APR VP of Communicatiosn & Public Affairs; Steve Alexander, APR President & CEO; and Ron Vance, Chief, Resource Conservation Branch, US EPA
According to the EPA, “Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) is a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire life cycles,” but is the program a compliment or a barrier to recycling? APR firmly believes that sustainability cannot exist without strong recycling systems and programs. Can SMM and recycling complement each other? Of course, but it should not be used to replace recycling as a key component of sustainability, or as a diversion of resources from the necessary investment in infrastructure to support and expand recycling. Learn about the basic principles of SMM and why recycling should remain a crucial element in its adoption.
Click here to view the presentation slides.
Plastic Sorting Best Management Practices: Resources for MRFs, Municipalities, & Reclaimers
Bale sorts, waste composition studies, plastics sorts, and other studies are a regular practice for MRFs, municipalities, and relcaimers, as well as other organizations. Although beneficial information is gathered from these sorts and studies, the process is not standardized, making it difficult to compare results. The APR Plastics Sorting Best Management Practices (BMPs) have been developed to provide guidelines to standardize plastic sorting categories and the terminology used to report the resulting data. Let’s all speak the same language! Along with a synopsis of the BMPs, learn about what terms are used, why they were chosen, and the importance of consistent reporting metrics and its value to municipalities, MRF’s, and the entire recycling industry.
Presenters: Liz Bedard, Director of APR’s Rigid Plastics Recycling Program; Tonya Randell, Project Manager at More Recycling Associates; and Stacey Demers, Project Director at SCS Engineers
Click here to view the presentation slides.
NRC-RMC SMM Webinar – Carpet Recycling and Stewardship
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, every year 4 billion pounds of carpet are discarded in the U.S. and only about 1 percent is recycled. There are many products on the market that use recycled carpet materials in their production. Examples include insulation, auto parts, parking stops, decking, wheelchair ramps, heavy-duty mats, and carpet cushion. This webinar discusses California’s efforts in establishing a sustainable carpet recycling and stewardship program.
E-Waste Challenges and Opportunities
Dr. Callie Babbitt, Associate Professor, Sustainability at the Golisano Institute of Sustainability at RIT, will present an informative webinar on E-Waste Challenges and Opportunities.
Emerging electronic products have changed the way we work, communicate and socialize. However, this digital transition comes with a high cost to the environment, including mining of scarce minerals, increasing use of electricity during operation, and the question of how to manage these products when they become obsolete. This webinar will overview major trends in electronic waste generation and management in the U.S. over the last 25 years and present forecasted estimates about how this complex waste stream will change in the future as new gadgets are introduced.
